Where We Are Today
by mew-tsubaki
Summary: M&MWP. Somehow, they'd become a family along the way, despite all the ups and downs. *50 linear drabbles of Zacharias & Parvati, as they go from classmates to husband and wife. Mention if used, thx. Done for the OTP & Head-canon Boot Camps on the HPFC. *K plus for minor swears*
1. A Girl

**Where We Are Today**

A HariPo drabble collection

by mew-tsubaki

Note for _**all**_ chapters: The _Harry Potter_ characters belong to J.K. Rowling, not to me. :[ However, Zacharias/Parvati is a **Mew & Mor Weird Pairing**, so I'd appreciate a nod if you used the pairing (and visit my profile for more on M&MWPs ;} ). These are 50 linear drabbles, exploring my head-canon for this OTP of mine—so read, review, and enjoy! :3 **Boot camps used**: _OTP Boot Camp Challenge, HeadCanon Boot Camp Challenge!_ (both in the HPFC)

- ^-^3

Prompts used: _acrid_ (OTP), _Yule Ball_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 656.

Timeline: Fourth year.

- ^-^3

**1: A Girl**

Maybe the Weasley twins were at it again. All Zacharias Smith could smell was burnt pastries and firewhiskey as he stood by the food and punch table while his schoolmates and their visitors danced the night away.

Zacharias growled. He really didn't want to be here, in this place, at this "Yule Ball" that all the girls were fawning over. McGonagall had yelled at all the Hogwartians in attendance to be on their best behavior—something Zacharias supposed was meant to show Beauxbatons and Durmstrang that Hogwarts had an ounce of class…something with which Zacharias didn't fully agree.

There was no point to the dance, in his opinion. Sure, he liked that the Triwizard Tournament was getting everyone out of exams for the year, but still…

"Are you going to dance or aren't you?" Justin prodded him. Justin wasn't dancing either, but he was smiling and humming along with the music as he sipped a drink.

"I don't really want to," Zacharias replied.

"That's a shame." Justin tugged on his dress robes, which looked a little out-of-place for the Wizarding world, because they were shorter than that of most other wizards in the room. "I'd like to, but I feel kind of funny, dressed like this. I've never had to put a tux on, y'know."

"What's a tux?" Zach asked.

Justin gave him a funny look. "A tux—a tuxedo. You know, the starched white shirt and the black jacket and pants…"

"You mean your dress robes."

"These aren't dress robes, Zach, I told you and the others that already."

Zach nodded and tried listening to his friend go on about yet another difference between the Wizarding and Muggle worlds, but the smell of the burnt pastries from before was acrid enough to make Zach blink several times, and he finally excused himself, interrupting Justin's chatter to step away. Zach wasn't sure where he was going, but then he thought that perhaps it was high time he return to the dorm and call it a night. In fact, if he moved quickly enough, he could be asleep long before any of the other blokes were up, because Ernie was having a great time with Hannah, and Wayne had managed to convince Susan to at least one dance that in actuality had ended three songs ago…but Zach couldn't blame them, since they at least were having fun.

_Speaking of which…_ Zacharias caught sight of Potter and Weasley as they sat dejectedly at an empty table with their dates, the Patil twins. Zach didn't exactly care for Potter and his lot—Cedric deserved to be Hogwarts' champion, after all, and he'd win for sure—but he wondered what the Patil twins were thinking to have agreed to go with the likes of Potter and Weasley.

He didn't know the Patils especially well, though he knew his father and their parents ran in some similar half-blood circles. The thought introduced a bit of curiosity, for he'd never thought before about talking to them or fraternizing with them.

Of course, then came the idea of which one to chat up. The Ravenclaw one—Padma—looked a little too let-down for his tastes. He didn't want to spend the rest of his night trying to cheer the witch up. On the other hand, the Gryffindor, Parvati, looked a wee bit ticked, and Zach had to wonder if it'd be wise to approach her when she looked so ready to strike. _Well, maybe we can be sour together_, he thought as his feet took him in her direction regardless.

But his pace slowed as someone else, a boy from Beauxbatons who was much handsomer than Zach ever would be, asked Parvati to dance, and she agreed without a moment's hesitation.

_Whatever_, Zach thought stubbornly as he retired for the night, walking past Parvati's empty seat without so much as a glance her way. _She's just a girl, like any other_.

- ^-^3

**A delightful start to what promises to be loads of fun. -w- Reading up on these two has made me think some more about them and their relationship…wonder what drabbles I'll cook up next? ;]**

**Thanks for reading, and please don't favorite without reviewing!**

**-mew-tsubaki :)**


	2. A Boy

Prompts used: _agitated_ (OTP), _graduation_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 578.

Timeline: Fourth year.

- ^-^3

**2: A Boy**

She hadn't known Cedric. Her, or Lavender, or Dean, or Seamus… They'd not known Cedric Diggory. They all _had_ known that the Triwizard Tournament could be lethal. But they hadn't expected it.

Still, Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff champion for Hogwarts had _died_. And Harry said that You-Know-Who had killed him.

Parvati fought a shiver as she pushed past other students on the Hogwarts Express to find Lavender on the train. Her best mate had gone on ahead to grab them a compartment, since Parvati had insisted on finding her sister first. But, after searching for a good ten minutes, Parvati assumed that Padma had holed up somewhere with her friends, Mandy, Lisa, Terry, Anthony, and Michael.

Parvati had a hard time thinking about compartments, focusing on finding Lavender as her mind strayed to recent events. Good Godric, a life had just been…_wiped out_. Cedric would never get his N.E.W.T.s and graduate. His dad would never see his only son marry and have kids… Cedric would never experience the praise he'd earned as co-winner of the tournament.

She had to wonder how Harry felt, having been there. Parvati wasn't sure if she exactly bought yet that Harry had seen the Dark Lord in person—because, really, facing the most powerful Dark wizard around in some capacity year after year seemed a little off to her.

The witch's doubts were cast aside for the time being when she heard the piercing laugh of her friend, and Parvati smiled for the first time in days. She didn't even notice that she'd bumped into someone until she heard an "Oi" come her way. "Oh, sorry," she said, glancing behind her.

Oh, it was that Hufflepuff Chaser…err, Smith, Zacharias Smith. She knew her parents were acquaintances of his dad's, but she didn't know him very well at all. Then she blinked and remembered that Zacharias was a _Hufflepuff_ and a _Chaser_ and thoughts of their recent loss came flooding back as her smile disappeared.

"Sorry," she repeated.

His agitation flickered and faded. "Yeah…no problem. Just watch where you're going next time."

He went to turn when she lifted her hand to stop him. "No, not just—I mean, I'm sorry. About what happened." Parvati frowned. "He was your friend, wasn't he?"

The last traces of his annoyance vanished. "He was. He was a great guy that had everything going for him and—" Zacharias stopped and looked up the aisle, where Parvati noticed Susan Bones sticking her head out and waving him over. "Sorry, I've gotta go."

"It's fine," Parvati said, as if that was the best way to end the awkward conversation.

He gave her the hint of a fleeting smile as he jogged up to his friends, and Parvati turned on her heel and finally entered the compartment Lavender had snagged. To her delight, she saw that Dean and Seamus had joined them. "About time," Lavender said with a wide grin on her face. "You missed the best joke that Seamus just told, Parvati!"

"I wouldn't go so far as to call it the _best_ joke…," Dean commented.

"_HEY_!" Seamus yelped, offended enough to have pronounced the "H" in the word.

Parvati chuckled as she took her seat beside Dean across from Lavender. Lavender kicked her foot. "Where did you go, anyway?"

"Oh, I just bumped into a Hufflepuff boy on the way," she replied and, after an odd beat of silence, conversation as normal resumed for the quartet.

- ^-^3

**It's very easy to forget that Zach didn't only commentate but actually played Quidditch at one point…**

**-mew! :O**


	3. A Letter

Prompts used: _breathless_ (OTP), _Hogwarts_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 838.

Timeline: Fifth year.

- ^-^3

**3: A Letter**

It didn't quite feel right to him, becoming Captain after Cedric. Hell, nothing really felt right as Zach returned to Hogwarts for his fifth year.

His mother had not been happy about the letter informing him of his Captaincy. "Zacharias, why don't you let one of your teammates take the position? That way you won't draw attention to yourself…"

"Mother, it wasn't attention that got Cedric killed—I told you before that he'd gone into that blasted maze," Zach had growled at her.

"Let the boy be an example to his House," his father had admonished. "They've just had a great loss—let them be excited again about something." His father winked to him. "His Chaser skills ought to bring life back to the badgers, eh?"

Zach had ignored them both. Between his mother bemoaning all the danger he could possibly face and his father lauding his average Quidditch skills, Zach had ended up welcoming fifth year with open arms, despite his off feelings.

All that said, he wasn't looking for any adventure. He would've preferred a quiet, normal year for once, but he doubted that would happen so long as Potter was in attendance. Surprisingly, though, it wasn't Potter that started the funny business this year…but a woman from the Ministry. A woman called Dolores Jane Umbridge.

School was _not_ the same with her around, though Zach felt she had a point. No one else had seen the Dark Lord. Maybe Potter _had_ lied. Maybe Dumbledore finally _was_ off his rocker.

At least, some people seemed to be off their rockers. That's how it seemed to Zacharias when he realized, after Umbridge had started "teaching," he saw less and less of Hannah and Ernie, then Justin and Susan, as well. He tried to brush it off at first, but then he overheard Ernie and Hannah talking in the common room one day—

"Reckon you'll learn the Stunning Spell better, Hannah?" Ernie asked with a chuckle.

Zach tried to keep his nose in his Herbology text. What was he talking about? No one was practicing defensive or offensive magic in the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. So when would Hannah have the time to work on such a spell?

"Shut it, Ernie," she hissed at him. Zach peaked over his shoulder and saw that she looked pleased anyway. "Besides, you're much better at Disarming than I am… Ugh, I need to work on that. I bet even Neville's better at that than I am."

"Well, we'll see what Harry and the others have to say. I bet he and Hermione will be giving us the lessons Umbridge refuses—"

"Ernie, hush up!" she insisted.

That was bloody conspicuous. If Zach didn't know better, he'd swear that his two friends were going to join some type of practical magic club…which didn't make sense. Umbridge had banned clubs, hadn't she?

His skepticism won out and Zach put his homework aside. He marched over to Hannah and Ernie and cleared his throat to get their attention. "Uh, you two want to tell me something?"

He didn't miss the look Hannah shot Ernie, but they didn't need to say anything, because Justin came running over to them, breathless and trying to convey that Susan was "in" with whatever they were planning. Then Justin realized Zach was standing right there, and the brunette turned Gryffindor maroon. "Um, I mean…"

Zacharias crossed his arms in front of his chest and shot the three of them a look. "Tell me. _Now_."

It was Ernie who finally sighed and motioned for them to head up to the fifth-year boys' dorm, Hannah sneaking up two minutes after when she was certain no one would be looking. "We'll tell you—but only if you're really interested and can promise to keep it a secret."

"All right. Shoot."

Hannah frowned. "Really, really, Zach? You won't say anything?"

"Look, I already overheard you say that Potter might be teaching what Umbridge won't—I might not have a high opinion of the loony bloke—"

"Hey, Harry's not loony," Justin interrupted.

Zach rolled his eyes. "—but I do know that Umbridge's 'theoretical approach' won't get us anywhere at least for our O.W.L.s. So, spill."

And so Zacharias came to learn of what would become the convening of Dumbledore's Army. At least, its general interest meeting.

It was shortly after that when Zach followed Hannah, Susan, Ernie, and Justin to Hogsmeade, intending to go to the Hog's Head. The lot of them met with some others—lions and eagles alike, younger and older—and Zach was impressed. So, he wasn't the only one who really despised how the toad taught. When they shuffled into a large room so that Hermione could begin the meeting by telling them their intent, Zacharias found a seat somewhat towards the front…and not all that far from Parvati.

He was glad when the meeting began and Hermione began her lecture, because only then could he tear his eyes from Parvati's pretty, resolute profile.

- ^-^3

**Someone is finally noticing girls… ;D**

**-mew! :P**


	4. A Duel

Prompts used: _battered_ (OTP), _Room of Requirement_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 636.

Timeline: Fifth year.

- ^-^3

**4: A Duel**

Harry had found the best thing possible for Dumbledore's Army: It was the Room of Requirement.

Harry and his friends had made encouraging remarks about how maybe the school wanted them to fight back. While Parvati admired that, she preferred just to wander the place.

"Can you imagine if we'd known about this place sooner?" Lavender giggled to her during one of the D.A. meetings.

Parvati blushed. "_Lav_!" She shook her head. "Tell Seamus you like him first before you start picking out the best snogging corners."

Lavender stuck her tongue out at Parvati and ducked her head when Seamus, Ron, and Dean looked their way.

"Way to play it smooth, mate," Parvati said with a snicker.

"Just because _you_ don't have someone you like—"

"Yet! I assure you, yet. Besides, we were just talking the other day about pairing up people in here. Let's focus on that instead, yeah? For example, we're agreed that it couldn't be more obvious how Hermione feels about Ron, and doubtful we're the only ones who've seen Harry looking at Cho."

At that point and time, Harry asked them to pair off to practice dueling with someone new, preferably from a different House from their own. Lavender immediately asked Padma, and most of the others managed to do what Harry had asked, though poor Harry had to take Seamus as his opponent. Hopefully nothing would explode in the already battered room.

"Parvati," Zacharias said, "have you got a partner?"

She shook her head, her attention brought back to herself. "Guess that makes us a pair then." In light of what she and Lavender had just been joking about, Parvati wanted to scream and amend her sentence to remove the term "pair," but Zacharias didn't seem to notice. He simply nodded and walked across from her.

As they dueled, Parvati realized something about him. Despite having been the most skeptical one at the beginning, Zacharias was trying harder, and his spells had gotten stronger. His Stunning Spell even pushed her back several feet until she almost hit the wall. Perhaps his concentration was better, considering there had just been that outbreak from Azkaban. Maybe…maybe he was just dedicating more of himself to the D.A. How noble of him, Parvati thought, for Zacharias to stop being pratty long enough to face the real world. It was somewhat admirable of him.

After the meeting, Zacharias grinned a little, for he'd managed to break a sweat when casting his last Shield Charm. "You're tougher than you look," he complimented her.

"Thanks. You, too—I thought I'd go flying earlier."

"I wouldn't have let that happen, promise," he assured her in a friendly way.

The D.A. broke up to go about the rest of their evening as usual, but Lavender tugged her out of the Room of Requirement almost immediately, and Parvati had no idea why. "What's with you?" Parvati grumbled as Lavender's face widened with her huge smirk. "What, Seamus finally give you the time of day?"

For a second, Lavender's face fell, but she shook it off. "Nooo. I saw you, Miss Slippery."

"What? What are you talking about, Lav?" Parvati shouldered her rucksack, her stomach growling at the thought of supper after their late History of Magic class.

Lavender poked her in the shoulder. "I thought you said that you didn't have anyone you liked."

The Indian witch shook her head. "I don't."

Lavender whined. "What? But you were talking with Smith so easily… Damn!"

Parvati laughed at Lavender trying to set her up, but her heart was pounding in her chest. Cripes! Maybe Lavender was on to something, since Zacharias was a fairly good-looking boy, even if he seemed often to have a sneer…

…and had been the first face to pop into Parvati's head just now at Lavender's teasing.

- ^-^3

**Nice and slow, though I like writing about the D.A.**

**-mew! :]**


	5. An Agreement

Prompts used: _calm_ (OTP), _math?_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 916.

Timeline: Fifth year.

- ^-^3

**5: An Agreement**

Just as nicely as the D.A. had begun, it was over.

"I can't believe someone betrayed us," Parvati said angrily. Spring arrived with the dissolution of their little band of do-gooders, but that couldn't stop some of them from hanging out between classes.

Zach looked around at the other distraught and irritated expressions. Ernie looked peeved, Seamus looked ready to blow something up on purpose, Padma looked as if she and not her Housemate had spilled the beans, and Dean and Justin and Hannah looked as though they still couldn't believe what had happened.

"You have to wonder how Harry's taking it," Lavender mumbled, and the others nodded.

Zach opened his mouth to comment, but he withheld his words. He seemed to be the only calm one right now, and he didn't exactly want to direct anyone's anger toward him. He was going to say that Potter was probably fine, because he seemed to have gained a larger following, with Weasley's sister and Neville and Loony Lovegood hanging around him more. But he knew to say nothing of it, because they'd all done the—what did the Muggles call it, math?—and realized that the only one missing from several of their meetings had been Ravenclaw Marietta Edgecombe. Cho Chang had looked embarrassed as hell to have the snitch be her best mate. Even some of the other older students seemed disappointed in her, like Jordan, the Quidditch commentator.

"Guys, head's up," Dean whispered, and he jutted his chin in the direction of the courtyard.

Automatically, he and Seamus left, Lavender right behind them. Padma exited with a silent Michael, the two of them suddenly talking very loudly about their Defense O.W.L. Justin leapt up awkwardly and headed inside, and Ernie and Hannah went in the opposite direction, going for a walk on the covered bridge instead.

Zach looked to Parvati. Without the others, they didn't seem as conspicuous hanging out, though since the break-up of the D.A., it probably would be best to keep out of Umbridge's sight…and she was passing by awfully close.

"Aren't you going to go study?" he asked, using the first topic off the top of his head.

Parvati gave him a small smile. "No, not right now. I kind of want to clear my head."

Zach nodded. "Makes sense."

"What about you?"

"Probably not right now, either. I just don't feel like it." _Not to mention that Potter and his lot are getting into enough trouble to land the whole school in detention right now_, he thought. Well, he had a hunch, at least.

"Oh." Parvati shifted from one foot to another and looked over his shoulder. "Agh, she's standing there, bickering with McGonagall… If I didn't hate Umbridge so much, I'd go over just to watch."

He snorted, trying not to laugh. Parvati was quite interesting.

She blushed. "What?"

"No, it's nothing. I swear."

She gave him a skeptical look, but she turned. And she waited. "Well? Are you coming or not?"

"Uh—"

"Now, Zacharias!"

He blinked. His body moved on its own at the sound of her voice, and they were heading for the lakeside before he knew what was happening. "We should make sure to head back before dark," he finally said when his voice found him. "Since she's messed with curfew."

"Right." Parvati glanced up at the sky and sighed. "This year has really changed things."

"Yeah, I agree…" The wizard ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, we've got liars and snitches and insanity and horses—"

She shot him a look.

"—I mean, centaurs." Huh. So the rumor he'd heard from Hannah about Parvati and Lavender fawning over Firenze their Divination professor had been right.

Her look softened, but she was definitely sizing him up. "Well, you're at least right about things changing. It kind of makes me wonder what things will be like just next year."

He shrugged. "I don't think it can get much worse than this. I mean, not being allowed to do real magic in a class where we're being taught it could save our lives?" He scoffed. "It's bloody ridiculous."

"It makes me enjoy Charms and Transfiguration more," Parvati remarked. Her face lit up. "Actually, remember some of the stuff Flitwick taught us as first years?"

"You mean things like sending out sparks and unlocking doors?" Zach rolled his eyes.

The witch laughed. "Yes, but it was fun."

"It was fun because we'd all barely done any magic before."

She raised her eyebrows. "Ah, but you agree it was fun."

Her eyes looked incredibly dark and glittery as the sun dipped in the sky. Zach quite liked that. He turned his head away, though, because he couldn't form a coherent sentence when looking her in the eye. Holy Helga, that was annoying. "If you're that easily amused—"

"Oh, come on, it's okay to entertain ourselves when everything's going down the dungeons—"

She stopped when he drew his wand and muttered a quick spell. Little red sparks jumped out of the tip. They didn't go high since Zacharias didn't throw them upward, but they weren't in distress so there was no need.

Besides, the sparks were all they needed. Parvati loosed a soft gasp as the sparks danced this way and that, and Zacharias kept the spell going for as long as he could focus, because there was just something about the sight of Parvati's face at sunset and behind the shining red lights.

- ^-^3

**Sweet and unexpected. GAH, I can't wait to write more. X3 And cookies if you spot the hint of another M&MWP here. -w-**

**-mew! :]**


	6. A Summer

Prompts used: _carcass_ (OTP), _Muggle Studies_ (HeadCanon)

Word count: 1053.

Timeline: Fifth year.

- ^-^3

**6: A Summer**

"Are you friends with Smith or not?"

"What?" Parvati gaped at Lavender as they sat in a compartment by themselves on the train ride home. It wouldn't be long before they pulled in to King's Cross Station and went their separate ways for the summer. Though, of course, Parvati and Lavender would spend an equal amount of time at each other's house; they always had, since first year on.

Lavender rolled her eyes and huffed, not in a playful mood. "Smith. Zacharias Smith. You know. Blonde Hufflepuff. D.A. member."

"I know that," the Indian witch snapped, her cheeks warm. "But what are you talking about?"

"It's pretty obvious to me that you've become friends with him, or something, since the D.A. formed. And even after the D.A. disbanded, I've seen you hang out with him a few times."

Good Merlin. Lavender hadn't seen that sparks moment, had she? Parvati hoped not for two reasons: one, she didn't like the idea of her best mate spying on her like that, and two, she didn't really want to share that moment with anyone. It had been a sweet moment. Even if Zacharias wasn't exactly boyfriend material, he wasn't a bad guy, and no one had ever been silly like that for Parvati. Well, Lavender had come close over the years, but that was different because the two witches were good friends, almost like sisters.

"So I just wanted to know if you really are friends with him," Lavender finished.

"Why such a random question?" Parvati asked. She buttoned up her purple jumper and brushed pastry crumbs off her jeans, silently counting for once the minutes until they would arrive at the station.

"No real reason." Lavender stared out the window and dropped the subject.

Parvati looked at her friend. They'd been alone for the whole ride, and she wondered if maybe something had happened between Lavender and Seamus. But, did Parvati dare ask? "Lav," she began gently, "where's Seamus?"

"Oh, off with Dean somewhere, I'm sure. Boys will be boys, you know." Lavender smoothed her dark blonde hair back and gathered it over one shoulder. "Actually, I think I might give up on him. I've liked him for years, but maybe it's time for a change."

The other girl nodded. "We all need a change, considering what just happened at the Ministry."

"Yeah… Maybe I'll go for a Quidditch player."

Parvati raised her eyebrows. "Seriously?"

Lavender grinned. "Well, they're all quite fit, aren't they?"

They giggled like old times. "You've got a point, mate!"

"And," Lavender drawled, "you could have a Quidditch player, too."

"Lavender…," Parvati warned.

"What?" The blonde feigned innocence. "I was only going to point out that Smith's not only a player but Captain of his team."

Parvati rolled her eyes. "Get a grip, Lav. He's a friend, nothing more. You'll have to drag my desperate carcass out of this compartment before I'd go on a date with someone like him." She added to Lavender's laughter in response, but a part of her felt bad for saying it. The words had just spilled out of her mouth, but she was a little nervous. She and Lavender had fawned over boys before, sure, but Parvati had never given one some actual thought. She shook her head and changed the subject, speculating about what really had happened with Harry and his lot at the Ministry. The topic lasted them well into the station, and Parvati felt relieved to get her belongings and go.

She hugged Lavender before Lavender went off with her parents, and then she set out for finding her twin. Parvati spied Padma saying goodbye to Mandy and Morag and was on her way over when someone passed by her, and Parvati did a double-take.

It was Zacharias.

She smiled before she even knew she was smiling, and she touched his arm. "See you next year, yeah?" she asked.

That tiny grin of his that she'd begun wonder if it always lay beneath his usual skeptical sneer appeared as he recognized her. "Yeah, see you next year."

Parvati bit her lip. "Ah, do you know what classes you'll take yet?"

Zacharias looked thoughtful. "Not sure. Probably a real Defense Against the Dark Arts class," he said. "I'm done with Potions, though, ugh. I was thinking of advanced Charms, though," he added, and his brown eyes landed on hers.

She wondered if maybe he had been thinking about the red sparks, too, so her smile widened. "Yeah, Charms would be great. I'll stick with Divination, too. And maybe…maybe do something bold, you know? Like, take Muggle Studies or something. I feel as though anything's possible, since the D.A."

He chuckled. "Let me know over the summer what classes you've picked. Maybe you'll need a buddy in Muggle Studies."

"Oh, yeah, sure." Parvati hoped that her excitement wasn't showing too badly on her face.

"Parvati, there you are!"

And she cringed and hoped that her embarrassment wasn't showing too badly on her face as her parents wound their way towards her. Her father, Parminder, reached her first, and her mother, Gita, was right behind him. "Hi, Mum, Dad," she said through gritted teeth.

"It's so good to have you back home," Gita told her daughter in her slightly accented voice. "We've heard all the news and were so worried."

"And who is this?" Parminder took a long look at Zacharias as if he couldn't determine yet if he should hex the boy or not.

"He's Zacharias Smith, our classmate and friend," Padma said, popping up on Parvati's other side opposite from Zacharias. "Mamaji, Dadaji, we really should get going." Padma sent Parvati a "You're welcome" look, and Parvati was rather grateful for the save.

"Smith?" Parminder and Gita exchanged a glance. Then Parminder asked Zacharias, "Is your father Adralian Smith?"

Zacharias nodded and shook his hand. "Yes, sir," and that was all he got out before his own father turned up with his mother, and the three Hogwartians knew it'd be a little while before they finally left King's Cross.

Parvati mouthed an "I'm sorry" to Zacharias and hoped that he'd forgive her most mortifying expression.

But all he did was shrug and say, "I have a funny feeling we won't only be exchanging letters over the summer."

And Parvati didn't mind.

- ^-^3

**8D My favorite chappy so far! X3 *squee* See, I've known I wanted the twins' dad's name to be "Parminder" for a few years, and I came up with the name "Adralian" a while ago and wanted to use it… And then "Gita" was so pretty… And this strengthens a notion Zach thinks of in ch1, as he correctly places that his dad and their parents are kind of acquaintances. But that's not the point, *lol*. Also, "Mamaji" and "Dadaji" are (to my knowledge, and please correct me if you genuinely know better) terms of endearment that are Hindi (?) and are akin to "Mommy/Mummy" and "Daddy." I get the feeling that the twins would still use these sometimes with their parents, and I have heard the terms used in shows and movies by Indian charries, so… And yaaay, I get to explore the Patil household and family…! So I'll stop commenting and work on the next chapter. Wow, this chapter got away from me!**

**-mew! XD**


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